Daniels, Maryland

Daniels, Maryland is located at 39°19’0.00″N 76°48’59.00″W. To get to the southern portion of Daniels, Maryland, head to Daniels Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21043. If you are attempting to see the northern portion, which includes Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church, Pentecostal Holiness Church, and several old ruins, you will need to navigate to Alberton Rd, Windsor Mill, MD, which is off of Dogwood Road. You will then need to park and walk the foot path to see the points of interest.

Daniels, Maryland has gone through three different names in 109 years due to the popularity of the mill. It was originally known as Elysville in 1829, then Alberton in 1839, and then finally Daniels in 1938.

Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church

This image is part of the collection of historic photographs of Baltimore County, Maryland USA owned by the Baltimore County Public Library, Towson Maryland USA. http://www.bcpl.info/

In 1878, Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church was designed by John Stark and then later built on the northern side of the Patapsco River. It stood till it was hit by lightning September 24, 1927. After the fire, it was left to decay on its own. Since then, the church has been graffitied on and a fire pit has been made from stones that once held up the walls.

There is a graveyard behind the church which still has many headstones ranging from dates in the late 1800s to early 1900s

A list of those buried in the graveyard can be found on FindAGrave.com

Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church is located on the northern portion of Daniels, Maryland.

Late 1800s

Before 1926 Fire

After September 1926, the burned out church

1940 - The ruins of the burned out church are visible on the hillside above the houses (Photographer Hans Marx)

Elysville

In the 1700s, a quarry was created on the northern portion of the Patapsco River in what was called Limestone Valley. Soon later, Joseph Evans and Anne Ellicott settled the site by building a small cotton mill.

Elysville was established as a cotton mill town as The Elysville Manufacturing Company by a man named Thomas Ely. The mill was to produce cotton textiles. It was incorporated in 1829. In 1831, railroad tracks were laid along the Patapsco River connecting to the B&O Railroad. Thomas Ely purchased the land owned by Joseph Evans on the date of his death in 1833. In August 1845, construction of the mill began after being funded by $25,000 in stock sales in July 1845. The mill was completed in the spring of 1846. It was briefly owned by the Okisko Company, then . Soon later in 1853, the mill was acquired by the Alberton Manufacturing Company.

In the image below, attorney James Clark can be seen on the stand about introduce the auction for Alberton. Charlie Hobbs, the auctioneer, sold the town to C.R. Daniels Company for $65,000 on November 23rd, 1940. Reported by the Baltimore Sun, on November 24th, 1940, “a three-and-a-half-story mill, a concrete dam over the Patapsco River, 118 homes and 550 acres of land. It also bought a water-system, private roads, a bridge, two churches and a general store.”

Alberton

Previously named Elysville, Alberton, Maryland was named after James Albert Gary, son of founder James S. Gary, in 1839 after moving from Connecticut. A store and seventy company buildings were built on 820 acres of land around the factory. The company buildings were for workers, including adult and child labor, including James S. Gary’s son James Albert Gary. Due to flooding in 1868 and 1868, the mill was damaged. In 1870, James Albert Gary received the mill and town as inheritance. In 1885, E. Stanley Gary, the son of James Albert Gary, took over the business which operated 228 looms and 8-9 thousand spindles. In 1879, the stone victorian-style Gary Memorial church was built and in 1893, St. Alban’s chapel was built as an Episcopal church. Alberton had its own Post Office from February 3rd, 1854 to March 1st, 1943. In 1938, Alberton was purchased by the C.R. Daniels company and renamed the town to Daniels, Maryland.

Daniels

After Alberton was purchased by the C.R. Daniels company in 1938 and renamed to Daniels, it operated until 1972 when Hurricane Agnes hit the town and flooded it. From C.R. Daniels website, “In 1940, the C.R. Daniels purchased a mill in Alberton, Maryland (later renamed Daniels, MD). During the 1950s and ’60s, the Daniels plant was enlarged 100% in order to manufacture additional products. It was the main office and manufacturing plant until Hurricane Agnes and the flood of 1972.” C.R. Daniels continues to operate out of Elliott City, Maryland.